Updated: Jul 18
Beauty Sleep … Or Is It?
Have you ever looked in the mirror straight after you wake up and seen lines on your face and want to scream because you look more tired than when you got into bed?
If you do, you aren’t alone! Quality sleep is key to our wellbeing. Adults need seven or more hours of sleep on a regular schedule to stay healthy, improve focus, and make good decisions!
But … good quality sleep also causes permanent sleep lines – or wrinkles (gasp!)
OMG! How does this happen and how can I prevent them you might be asking? Keep reading to learn what causes these lines and tips for preventing and treating them.
Let’s start with how sleep causes sleep wrinkles.
Getting seven hours of sleep a night means you’re spending 2,555 hours sleeping every year. And some of us aim for more than seven hours. That’s a lot of time lying on a pillow!
No matter what position you fall asleep in you will move throughout the night. So, you can end up lying on your back, stomach, sides and even in a foetal position.
Sleeping on your stomach and side sleeping causes your face to be folded or squished on your pillow (particularly on cotton pillows). And this repeated squishing of your face eventually leads to vertical lines from the pressure we put on our faces … while we sleep.
As you age your skin starts to lose collagen which makes it elastic-y. So, overtime, you’ll notice these lines – which can be on your forehead, around your eye and even on your chest – will stop bouncing back while you drink your coffee and become permanent.
Great! So, how can you prevent these pesky sleep lines or as it’s also known – pillow face?
If you’re young enough to still have a strong supply of collagen (lucky you!) read on for tips to prevent sleep lines forming.
1. Sleep on your back – it might seem completely obvious but no squishing of your face on a pillow equals no (or less) sleep lines. If you aren’t a natural back sleeper this may be easier said than done. It’s not always easy to train yourself to change sleep patterns …
2. Use silk pillow case – your skin grips to cotton and jersey pillow cases. Silk or satin pillow cases though are more slippery so your skin isn’t as easily able to grip and it won’t scrunch up as much during your sleep.
3. Take care of your skin – wear SPF. Every. Single. Day. Drink plenty of water - especially before bed - so you’re fully hydrated which your skin loves. And consider adding a retinol serum and hyaluronic acid to your evening skincare regime to add extra moisture and support your skin during sleep.
Now if you’ve noticed that those pesky sleep lines have become permanent vertical lines and you’d like to treat them all is not lost!
Botox injections treat wrinkles caused by overuse of facial muscles and won’t treat sleep lines. This is where dermal filler comes in.
Hyaluronic dermal filler injections are very effective in treating sleep lines. Firstly – as the name suggests – they fill the sleep lines. Hyaluronic Acid is naturally found in your body and works to ‘plump’ your skin by trapping moisture in the skin.
Hyaluronic Acid filler will also help to boost collagen production over time – bonus!
Spoiler alert though: it will take two to three filler treatments to see full results. The good news though is that thanks to the stimulation of collagen the results can last more than a year!
So, whether you’re looking to prevent sleep lines – or if they’ve appeared with the inevitable ageing process – there are options.
If you’re ready to treat the lines with filler reach out and book an appointment with one of our amazing injectors to see what’s possible for you.
Or, if you have any tips for back sleep training please, please let us know!